Story Behind the Song: Johnny McGuire, ‘I Can’t Even’

Johnny McGuire is no stranger to the country music industry: He's been in Nashville since 2012, and was formerly one-half of the duo Walker McGuire with Jordan Walker. The pair were signed to BBR Music Group before disbanding in early 2019.

McGuire continued his career path as a solo artist with BBR Music Group, releasing his debut solo EP, Neon Nights, in September of that same year. The project contains McGuire's first-ever solo single, "I Can't Even," a song he describes as "one that embodies the musical style and lyrics that have influenced my musical journey, like Tom Petty’s "Don’t Come Around Here No More" or a bit of Bon Jovi aligning with contemporary country."

Written by songwriter-turned-artist Hardy, Mark Holman and James McNair, "I Can't Even," McGuire says, "tackles the universally shared feeling of heartbreak — that gut-wrenching moment we’ve all experienced when you don’t think you’ll be able to go on." Below, hear the story behind the song in McGuire's own words.

[A] fun story about this song is that it was the last song that I actually cut on my EP.

It was one that kinda came in out of nowhere, last minute. I thought it kinda sounded a little bit different than the other stuff I was doing, and so, last minute, we cut it.

Funny how the world works: It ended up being my first single.

WATCH: Johnny McGuire Shares the Story Behind "I Can't Even"

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